Quickstart

Get started

Quickstart

Create a key, send your first request, and let the router pick the best model. If you already use the OpenAI SDK, you only change the base URL and key.

1. Create an API key

In your workspace, go to Settings → API Keys and create a key. Keys are prefixed sk-nr- and shown once , copy it immediately and store it as an environment variable.

Shell
export NEURALROUTER_API_KEY="sk-nr-..."

2. Send your first request

Set model to "auto" and the router selects a model for your objective. Pin a specific id (e.g. "claude-sonnet") to bypass routing.

cURL
curl https://api.neuralrouter.ai/v1/chat/completions \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer $NEURALROUTER_API_KEY" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -H "X-NR-Objective: quality-per-dollar" \
  -d '{
    "model": "auto",
    "messages": [
      { "role": "user", "content": "Explain inference routing in one sentence." }
    ]
  }'

3. Use an SDK

The official OpenAI SDKs work as a drop-in:

Python
from openai import OpenAI

client = OpenAI(
    base_url="https://api.neuralrouter.ai/v1",
    api_key="sk-nr-...",  # your Neural Router key
)

resp = client.chat.completions.create(
    model="auto",
    messages=[{"role": "user", "content": "Hello!"}],
    extra_headers={"X-NR-Objective": "lowest-latency"},
)
print(resp.choices[0].message.content)
TypeScript
import OpenAI from "openai";

const client = new OpenAI({
  baseURL: "https://api.neuralrouter.ai/v1",
  apiKey: process.env.NEURALROUTER_API_KEY,
});

const resp = await client.chat.completions.create(
  {
    model: "auto",
    messages: [{ role: "user", content: "Hello!" }],
  },
  {
    headers: {
      "X-NR-Objective": "highest-quality",
      "X-NR-Allow": "gpt-4o,claude-sonnet",
    },
  },
);

console.log(resp.choices[0].message.content);

Authentication

Authenticate every request with your workspace key as a bearer token. Keys are scoped to a single workspace and inherit its budgets, guardrails, and residency policy. Revoking a key takes effect immediately; never embed a key in client-side code.

Header
Authorization: Bearer sk-nr-xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Next

Learn how the router picks a model in Model routing, or see every parameter in the API reference.